By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
Yukon’s free medical clinic is continuing to serve the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Faith Clinic, housed inside Trinity Baptist Church at 620 N Cemetery Road, is staying open 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays – by appointment only.
“We didn’t think it was appropriate to close down,” clinic director Dayla Hall said.
“We’re taking precautions because we want to keep our patients and our volunteers safe. We’re screening patients over the phone when they call for an appointment.”
Anyone who comes to the Faith Clinic with COVID-19 symptoms will be referred to an urgent care clinic or hospital emergency room to be tested. When patients come in, their temperature is taken to see if they’re running a fever.
“We’re going by the six-foot rule,” said Hall, referring to social distancing guidelines. “We set up chairs to make sure our patients are not closer than six feet from each other.”
The Faith Clinic is for people without insurance, Medicaid, SoonerCare, or other payer types. The clinic primarily serves people age 18 to 64-1/2 years.
The Faith Clinic has treated patients with a wide range of medical conditions since opening four years ago.
A small pharmacy is on site.
“To reduce the risk of exposure, patients are asked to wait in their cars while we fill their prescriptions and we have ‘runners’ take their medications out to them,” Hall said.
The Faith Clinic is staffed every Tuesday by dedicated medical professionals who contribute their time and expertise.
“We have a great group of health care providers who are very committed to serving people during this time – doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and social workers,” Trinity Associate Pastor Scott Kinney said.
Volunteers age 60 years and above and those with lung or heart disease are asked not to come to the Faith Clinic right now since they are at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.
“We want to keep them safe,” said Hall, a registered nurse at St. Anthony Hospital.
The Faith Clinic’s director cited the need for free healthcare in this community.
Many people are uninsured and can’t afford medical care, Hall said, so the Faith Clinic helps “fill the gap” to take care of them physically and spiritually.
Without the Faith Clinic offering its services, the only place these residents can go for treatment when they get sick is an emergency room.
The Faith Clinic’s mission is “to offer the healing hope of Jesus Christ and contribute to health and well-being by providing quality, holistic healthcare to every patient.”
For more information about the Faith Clinic at Yukon’s Trinity Baptist Church, visit faithclinic@trinityyukon.com or call (405) 265-6198.
